Prairie Lakes Hospice
A hospice in Watertown, South Dakota 57201
401 9th Ave NW Post Office Box 1210, Watertown, South Dakota 57201. (605) 882-7745.
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The short answer
Record last released by CMS on Oct 23, 2026. We couldn’t read Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ list since Oct 27, 2026: qcor.cms.gov now refuses our reader. This record is as of then.
- 1 deficiency cited in the last three years
- 4of 5 family caregiver rating
- 10of 10 CMS’s Hospice Care Index
Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.
What these words mean3
- Star ratings
- CMS rates some kinds of place from 1 to 5 stars, more stars meaning better on CMS’s own measures for that kind: for a nursing home, its health inspections, staffing and quality measures. A rating is CMS’s summary of those measures; it doesn’t promise good care. Source: CMS, Care Compare and the Five-Star Quality Rating System.
- Inspection (survey)
- A visit by state inspectors, often unannounced, who check a place against the rules it must meet. For nursing homes and other places Medicare pays, CMS calls these visits surveys: a standard survey of a nursing home comes at least every 15 months, and a complaint survey whenever a complaint calls for one. Source: CMS; 42 CFR 488.308.
- Deficiency, citation, violation
- What inspectors write up when a place didn’t meet a rule: the rule, what they saw, and when. CMS calls it a deficiency; states may say citation or violation. It is the inspectors’ finding, not a court’s, and the place is usually asked for a plan to correct it. Source: CMS, statement of deficiencies (Form CMS-2567); each state’s licensing agency.
What did inspectors find?
1 deficiency cited in the last three years
The middle of the 5 hospices serving ZIP code 57201 had 0.
The last inspection on record was on May 27, 2025: a recertification inspection by the state.
CMS, QCOR hospice inspection reports. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, Hospice ZIP Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
When those deficiencies happened
1 deficiency in 1 month of the last 36. Last cited Apr 2025. Most serious: Standard-level. The last 3 years, to Oct 27, 2026.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Nov | Dec | ||||||||||
| 2024 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2025 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2026 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct |
Hover or focus a month to read it.
Hearth Record drew this from the dates and levels in the source’s own records.
Each deficiency, as cited
Rule titles as CMS’s inspectors cite them, set in sentence case.
CMS, QCOR hospice inspection reports. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated quarterly.
Apr 17, 2025: recertification inspection by the state1 deficiency
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Prevention (42 CFR 418.60(a))
The inspectors’ words, 693 words
“Based on observation, interview, record review, and policy review, the provider failed to follow standard infection prevention practices while using reusable equipment for one of four sampled hospice patients (4) during a home visit. Findings include: 1. Observation on 4/16/25 at 9:30 a.m. of registered nurse (RN) G during a hospice home visit with patient 4 revealed:*She placed a disposable drape as a barrier on the floor in the bedroom in front of the patient’s bed, then placed her nursing bag on the barrier.*She completed hand hygiene, opened the bag, and removed the following reusable equipment items: stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, thermometer, and oximeter, and set the equipment on the floor next to the bag without a barrier under that reusable equipment.*She then picked the equipment items up off the floor and used them on the patient to obtain his blood pressure, temperature, oxygen saturation, and to listen to his heart, lungs, and bowel sounds with the stethoscope.* She then laid the equipment items back on the floor without a barrier next to her bag which remained on the same drape barrier.*When her visit was completed, she cleaned those equipment items with a germicidal wipe before returning them to her bag.2. Interview on 4/16/25 at 10 a.m. with RN G regarding infection prevention during the hospice home visit with patient 4 revealed:*She had worked at the hospice agency for approximately two years.*She was trained on infection prevention and proper bag technique to maintain infection control during new hire orientation and received additional infection prevention training from the agency.*She agreed that laying reusable equipment from her bag on the floor without a barrier and then using it on the patient did not follow standard infection prevention practices. 3. Review of the provider’s undated and blank Home Health/Hospice RN Orientation Check List form revealed the following item was listed:*HOSPICE – Nurse Orientator”“____12. Nursing Bag Technique/Infection Control a. Copy of policy.”4. Review of RN G’s training revealed:*Her hire date was 6/19/2023.*Her Home Health/Hospice RN Orientation Check List, dated as completed on 8/21/23, did not include the:“____12. Nursing Bag Technique/Infection Control a. Copy of policy.” 5. Interview on 4/16/25 at 4:30 p.m. with director A and clinical coordinator B regarding infection prevention revealed:*Nurses received infection prevention and nursing bag technique/infection control training as part of their new hire orientation and ongoing during their employment with the agency.*The agency had a Home Health/Hospice RN Orientation Check List form that was completed and signed off by a preceptor/trainer during a nurse’s new hire orientation, and it included nursing bag technique/infection control.*The agency had a meeting scheduled on 4/24/25 and planned a training review of nursing bag technique/infection control.*They agreed that the reusable equipment placed on the floor without a barrier by RN G during the observed hospice home visit had not followed infection prevention standards and posed an infection risk to the patient.*Director A agreed RN G’s 8/21/23 dated Home Health/Hospice RN Orientation Check List form did not include the nursing bag technique/infection control training. 6. Review of the provider’s 5/2024 Home Care Nursing Bag Technique Policy revealed:*”PURPOSE:1. To minimize the contamination of agency equipment and the spread of infectious diseases to patients and employees.*POLICY:1. Clinical personnel will comply with the basic principles of asepsis and bag technique in caring for patients and in the use of equipment.”“PROCEDURE:1. Upon entrance to a patient’s home, the nursing bag is placed on a clean workspace. If cleanliness is an issue a barrier such as newspaper, unsterile drape, or paper towel or chux [disposable absorbent sheet] pad should be placed under the bag.”“3. The inside of the bag is considered a clean area and contains unused or clean equipment/supplies.”“5. After handwashing, the nurse enters the bag and takes out all equipment that will be needed for the visit. Equipment is placed on a clean field with a clean field developed by an unsterile drape, paper towel, etc.”“8. All reusable equipment is disinfected prior to returning item(s) to the bag. Each item shall be cleansed with a germicidal wipe according to the manufacturer’s recommendation. Equipment may include but is not limited to: 1. Stethoscope, bell and diaphragm 2. Blood Pressure cuff” “6. Oximeter””
All 2 inspections in the last three years
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| May 27, 2025 | Recertification inspection by the state | No deficiencies cited |
| Apr 17, 2025 | Recertification inspection by the state | 1 deficiency cited |
Is it certified?
- Medicare-certified hospice since Aug 7, 1989.
- Ownership: non-profit.
- No For hospices, home health agencies, hospitals and dialysis facilities, CMS writes deficiencies at two levels. Standard is the usual one; condition-level is the more serious, when a problem is serious enough that the provider doesn’t meet a whole condition of taking part in Medicare. Source: CMS, State Operations Manual. deficiency or CMS’s most serious finding: the place’s failure to meet a rule caused, or was likely to cause, serious injury, harm, impairment or death to someone in its care. Source: CMS; 42 CFR 489.3. on record in the last three years.
CMS, Hospice General Information. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, QCOR hospice inspection reports. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated quarterly.
Has anything been proven against it?
- CMS doesn’t publish fines or other penalties for hospices, so none are shown.
- 0 deficiencies cited in the last three years came from inspections that included a complaint investigation.
CMS, QCOR hospice inspection reports. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated quarterly.
Who does the caring?
- From Medicare claims (Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2024): 33.3 nurse care minutes per routine home care day, 12.4% of skilled nursing minutes at weekends and a visit near death for 98.5% of patients who died.
- Where its patients were cared for (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024): 28% at home, 7% in assisted living, 2% in a nursing facility, 61% in a skilled nursing facility, 2% in a hospital.
CMS, Hospice Provider Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Measure | This provider |
|---|---|
| Nurse care minutes per routine home care day | 33.3 min |
| Skilled nursing minutes at weekends | 12.4% |
| Visits near death | 98.5% of patients who died |
Who owns it?
- Sanford Health Network owns 100% directly since Oct 31, 2025.
- 26 owners or officers are people: Mark Allen Lundeen (corporate director, 0%); Marnie Lynn Ventling-Herrmann (corporate officer, 0%); Marnie Lynn Ventling-Herrmann (corporate director, 0%); Tony Lee Morrison (corporate officer, 0%); Brent Gerard Teiken (corporate director, 0%); Jolyn Joy Munson (corporate officer, 0%); Dana James Dykhouse (corporate director, 0%); John Allen (corporate officer, 0%); John Allen (managing employee (on the payroll)); Andrew Stewart North (corporate officer, 0%); Andrew Stewart North (corporate director, 0%); Stephanie Marie Herseth Sandlin (corporate director, 0%); William Joseph Gassen (corporate officer, 0%); William Joseph Gassen (corporate director, 0%); George Joseph Brown (corporate officer, 0%); George Joseph Brown (corporate director, 0%); Wesley Owen Engbrecht (corporate director, 0%); Maureen Patricia Mccausland (corporate director, 0%); Michele Turbak (managing employee (on the payroll), 0%); Thomas Richard Wenzel (corporate director, 0%); David Jonathan Shulkin (corporate director, 0%); Neil Leslie Gulsvig (corporate director, 0%); Kevin Victor Schieffer (corporate director, 0%); Lauris Nelson Molbert (corporate officer, 0%); Lauris Nelson Molbert (corporate director, 0%); Nicholas Wayne Olson (corporate officer, 0%).
- No private-equity firm among the owners CMS lists.
- No real-estate investment trust among the owners CMS lists.
CMS, Hospice All Owners and Hospice Enrollments. Released Sep 29, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Organisation | Role | Share | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanford Health Network | Owns 5% or more directly | 100% | Oct 31, 2025 |
| Sanford | Owns 5% or more through other companies | 100% | Oct 31, 2025 |
| Sanford Health | Owns 5% or more through other companies | 100% | Oct 31, 2025 |
What do families say?
- Family caregivers rate it 4 of 5 in CMS’s survey (Oct 1, 2023 to Sep 30, 2025): 84% rated it 9 or 10 out of 10, and 89% would definitely recommend it.
- CMS’s Hospice Care Index: 10 of 10 (Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2024).
- 93.38% of patients were assessed on all seven of CMS’s measures at the start of care (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025); 90.7% had visits from a nurse or social worker on at least 2 of their last 3 days (Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2024).
CMS, CAHPS Hospice Survey and Hospice Provider Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Measure | Rating |
|---|---|
| Family caregiver survey ratingCMS star rating from its survey of patients’ family caregivers, 1 to 5 | 4 of 5 |
| Hospice Care IndexCMS’s Hospice Care Index, 0 to 10 (higher is better): a point for each of ten measures from Medicare claims on which the hospice meets CMS’s threshold | 10 of 10 |
How does it compare nearby?
- Of the 5 hospices CMS’s data show serving patients in ZIP code 57201, where this hospice’s office is, the middle number of deficiencies cited in the last three years was 0; this one had 1.
CMS, Hospice ZIP Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, QCOR hospice inspection reports. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Place | Deficiencies, 3 years |
|---|---|
| Prairie Lakes Hospice This hospice | 1 |
| Avera @ Home | 0 |
| Brookings Health System | 0 |
| Avera @ Home | 0 |
| Aseracare Hospice | 4 |
What the record doesn’t say
- CMS doesn’t publish fines or other penalties for hospices, so none are shown.
- Only complaints that led to a citation appear; complaints that didn’t aren’t published.
- CMS ended its Special Focus Program for hospices with serious problems on Feb 14, 2025, so no hospice is marked as one.
- Hospice quality measures have a gap from October 2025: CMS replaced its patient assessment then, and public results from the new one (HOPE) are expected around November 2027.
Sources
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospice General Information (yc9t-dgbk).
Released Aug 26, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospice Provider Data (252m-zfp9).
Released Aug 26, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CAHPS Hospice Survey (gxki-hrr8).
Released Aug 26, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, QCOR hospice inspection reports (Hospice Survey Reports - Oct 2021 through Sep 2026.xlsx).
Released Oct 23, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospice All Owners (e983965e-1603-4cb8-82b5-c40090e380d1).
Released Sep 29, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospice Enrollments (25704213-e833-4b8b-9dbc-58dd17149209).
Released Sep 29, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospice ZIP Data (95rg-2usp).
Released Aug 26, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
If you believe something here is wrong, a correction starts with the agency whose record this copies: CMS. CMS’s own record is on Care Compare. If Hearth Record copied something wrongly, it will fix it and log the correction publicly, with its date: how corrections work.
This copy of the record was made on Oct 27, 2026.
From the hospice
The public record above comes first. Anything the hospice adds will appear here, below it, and say who wrote it.
Replies
None. Replies aren’t open yet. When they open, the hospice will be able to answer any finding for free, and the reply will show beside that finding, unedited and dated.
Paid listing
None. Paid listings aren’t open yet. When they open, anything paid for will say “Paid by the hospice”, and paying will never change a finding, a rating or the order of results.